A GROWING BUSINESS EARNS COWBOY PRAISE
JOSHUA Gaw is a young man with two passions – lending a helping hand in the Townsville community and the North Queensland Cowboys.
The 19-year-old and his father began Jobs4josh in 2015 and since then they have offered their services to homes throughout the region with garbage collection, party clean-ups and furniture deliveries among their offerings.
Joshua lives on the spectrum and with an intellectual disability but that has not stopped him playing his role supporting the people of the city, including Cowboys forward Tom Gilbert.
Last weekend Gilbert was in need of assistance with green waste removal and the 20-year-old firebrand was quick to call the Gaw family and present the aspiring businessman with some of his training gear.
Gilbert, who this year was nominated for the Ken Stephens Medal recognising his own community service, said his relationship with Joshua had highlighted to him how important a role NRL players had to play off the field.
“To see him so excited considering the year we had shows there’s more to footy than winning,” Gilbert said of the moment he gave Joshua the Cowboys gear.
“The Cowboys play for a community, not just for ourselves … (and) I think we can get so caught up in how good life can be as a rugby league player. “While things aren’t going too well, if we’re good people we can change people’s lives.
“He did his hard work and to see him so excited for some Cowboys gear (was amazing). It’s been a tough couple of years (for the club), but we know how supportive our fans are.”
Joshua first met Gilbert at a
Townsville Blackhawks game and since then the pair have been in regular touch, with the promising prop often circling around to the young entrepreneur at the end of Cowboys’ home games.
Joshua’s father Darin Gaw said his son’s bond with Gilbert highlighted how important community engagement was between the NRL stars and the fans who idolise them. He said the pair were prime examples of “two outstanding young men” who both set “very good but different examples to others” about what can be achieved through hard work, determination and community collaboration.
“Josh has always had a fascination with rubbish bins and the council truck coming and picking up the bins. He always likes meeting people too, so it was a combination of all those things,” Gaw said. “We weren’t sure if it was going to take off, it was mainly about getting his name out there and over the years we’ve slowly built up.
“Down the track eventually one day I’d like him to have his own ute. It will be registered in his name and with support from family and service providers Josh will be able to continue doing his work.”
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